Do you love the calming beauty of ocean waves and sandy shores? As Kerrilyn Cheah often shares, capturing that peaceful coastal atmosphere with watercolor is easier than you might think.
In today’s tutorial, Kerrilyn Cheah will guide you through painting a breathtaking beachscape using simple, beginner-friendly watercolor techniques.
This step-by-step lesson is perfect for anyone wanting to create a realistic and vibrant seascape. Get your materials ready, and let’s paint together!
Materials the Artist Will Need
Before starting, the artist makes sure to gather the right materials. There is no need to have the exact same ones—alternative options work as well.
Paints
The artist uses a mix of blues and greens to create realistic water and a soft sandy shore. Here are the main colors:
- Yellow Ochre: for the sand
- Turquoise Blue: for the ocean’s lighter tones
- Viridian Hue: a bright green to add depth
- Marine Blue: to mix with turquoise for deeper blues
- Royal Blue & Ultramarine Green Light: for variations in the water
- French Ultramarine Blue: for the deeper areas of the ocean
- White Gouache: to add foam and highlights
If some shades are unavailable, the essentials are turquoise blue, a green like viridian hue, and an ultramarine blue.
Brushes
Different brushes help achieve different effects. Here’s what the artist uses:
- Size 8 natural hair brush: for large areas and smooth blending
- Size 8 synthetic brush: for detailed work
- Smaller synthetic brushes (Size 3/0, 0, and 2): for adding fine details and splatter effects
- Old brush (size 6 or 8): for creating foam textures (avoid using a new brush since this technique can damage the bristles)
Paper
For best results, the artist uses 300 gsm compressed Arches watercolor paper.
It is thick enough to handle multiple layers of paint and water.
Before starting, the artist has already pre-sketched the outline of the beach scene to make the painting process smoother.
Step-by-Step Painting Process
Now that everything is prepared, it’s time to begin painting. The artist guides through each stage, from the sky to the final touches.
Step 1: Painting the Sky
The artist begins by painting the sky, keeping it light and airy to set the mood for the entire piece.
A size 8 brush is loaded with a diluted wash of turquoise blue, ensuring it is watery for a soft transition.
Add a wash of turquoise blue
As the first layer is applied, the artist builds depth gradually, blending in marine blue and royal blue near the horizon.
This creates a natural gradient that mimics subtle shifts in the sky’s tones.
Since watercolor moves freely, the artist carefully tilts the paper to control the paint flow and prevent unwanted blooms.
For added realism, the reference image is checked to spot any hint of green undertones near the horizon.
A tiny mix of green into the blue brings out subtle variations, making the sky appear more natural.
If any paint strays into areas meant for foam, it will eventually be covered with white gouache.
Step 2: Creating the Ocean Waves
Now the artist brings the waves to life.
The ocean is never just one flat color, so the artist plays with different blue and green hues to give it depth.
The artist mixes viridian hue, turquoise blue, and royal blue, then brushes the mixture onto the paper in smooth, flowing strokes.
Instead of using a single shade, the artist experiments by layering various tones to add dimension.
Near the foam, deeper blues and greens are added to create shadows, making the waves feel dynamic and realistic.
Since water is always in motion, the wet-on-wet technique helps colors blend naturally.
If any sharp or unnatural edges appear, the artist softens them with a clean, damp brush so the paint melts smoothly into surrounding areas.
Curved strokes help define the movement of the waves, and for extra depth, a hint of neutral tint is introduced into the darkest shadow areas.
Step 3: Painting the Sandy Shore
The shoreline merges warm sand with cool water, so balance is essential.
The artist begins with a light wash of yellow ochre, following the natural shape of the shoreline.
Since sand isn’t a uniform color, the artist mixes yellow ochre with a bit of blue to create subtle shadows that distinguish wet from dry sand.
These shadows give the beach a softer and more natural appearance.
Another technique the artist uses is adding a delicate blue tint in certain sand areas—this mimics reflected light from the sky, increasing realism.
Step 4: Adding the Foam and Wave Details
Foam may seem pure white at first glance, but in reality, it has soft undertones of blue, green, and gray.
To observe these details clearly, the artist converts the reference image to black and white to identify where shadows naturally fall.
To achieve a smooth and realistic look, the artist starts by pre-wetting the foam areas with clean water, then gently drops hints of green, soft blue, and a touch of neutral tint.
These colors blend seamlessly to create a frothy, airy effect.
For extra definition, a fine brush is used to paint delicate ripples and curves where the foam meets the waves.
Step 5: Enhancing the Foam with White Gouache
Now it’s time to use white gouache to make the foam stand out.
The artist takes a size 0 brush, dips it lightly in water, and presses and twists the bristles to open them up—perfect for creating foam splashes.
Starting along the foam edges, the artist taps the brush onto the paper, allowing the bristles to create tiny, irregular splatters. More open bristles produce finer splatters.
If the brush doesn’t open properly, the artist switches to a size 2 brush. Since this technique damages bristles, only old brushes are used.
After adding the foam texture, the artist takes a synthetic brush, mixes a little water with gouache, and softens the center of the foam for a natural look.
Excess splatters are blended out with clean water.
Step 6: Final Touches and Adjustments
Now comes the final and most satisfying stage.
The artist steps back to observe the whole painting from a distance.
This helps identify areas needing additional depth or refinement.
If any section appears flat, the artist adds darker blue shadows beneath the foam for contrast and a more three-dimensional feel.
To make the wet sand even more realistic, the artist mixes a tiny amount of blue, yellow ochre, and neutral tint to create subtle shoreline shadows.
This step ties everything together beautifully!
For the final touch, a separate brush is dipped into white gouache and lightly flicked across the water and sand to create natural, textured effects resembling tiny droplets and grains of sand catching light.
After that, small splatters of yellow ochre are lightly flicked across the sandy areas. A sheet of paper is used to cover the top to prevent unwanted splashes.
For tiny splatters, another brush is used to tap the yellow-loaded brush gently.
And that’s it. The painting is now complete, capturing the beauty of rolling waves, foamy shores, and sunlit sand.
In A Nutshell
Painting a beachscape with watercolors is a rewarding experience, and the artist can enjoy the process from start to finish.
With just a few techniques, it’s possible to create a scene full of movement and light.
Ready to bring more stunning landscapes to life?
The artist can grab the brushes, experiment with new color combinations, and let creativity flow across the paper.